R-Type Command's Black R-9A Pre-order Bonus

Yujin's Shooting Game Historica mini-model gashapon ships are the greatest shooter-related merchandise since ever. They're small enough to display anywhere, yet are super-detailed and bring a new life to two-dimensional galaxy saving. The ships come in the regular colors and the "2nd player" variants from the SP collection. There was also a black with red trim colored R-Type R-9A variant that I believe was a pre-order bonus in Japan for R-Type Tactics. The toy has been seen here and there on eBay for awhile, but now R-Type fans will be able to get one as a sweet bonus for pre-ordering R-Type Command. Those that already bought the mini-model off of eBay can either be furious that they spent so much on the auction site or get a second one. GameStop, GameCrazy, and Amazon are all offering the ship for the game's May 6th release.

The black, regular, and red R-Type R-9A ships from Yujin's galaxy saving line of awesome.

- Shawn - 04/30/08

Direct link: R-Type Command's Black R-9A Pre-order Bonus

Weekly News Roundup: 04/27/2008

Games

The Metal Gear Online Beta finally went live this weekend, but organized team tactics were observed to be at a bare minimum. I'm sure teams will figure out how to set girly magazine traps one the real game hits.

• Criterion has announced yet another update for Burnout Paradise, codenamed Davis. The Davis update will add night driving and motorcycles, both of which are a first for the Burnout series. Motorcycles wouldn't stand a chance in the road rage events, but the cycles will have their own types of races. This killer update is expected in August. Unfortunately, Criterion did have to recall the Bogart update for the Xbox 360 as it caused some framerate problems when players were driving fast, you know, the only speed in Burnout. The re-release of Bogart is expected on May 2nd.

• Capcom is offering free box art to replace the IGN watermarked cover on Okami for the Wii. It appears you don't even have to own the game to get the art and you could also use it for the PS2 version. If you live overseas or don't want to wait for Capcom to mail it, you can also download the art and print it yourself. Thanks, Capcom, you guys rock.

• Earthworm Jim is set to return in a big way. Interplay announced Earthworm Jim 4, a new animated series, and a movie.

• Namco-Bandai has released small images of the Soul Calibur IV Collector's Editions. Mitsurugi and Darth Vader are on the PS3 version's shirt while Siegfried and Yoda are on the 360's. The tin and art book look nice, but those T-shirts aren't my style, especially considering they only come in size XL. Not all Soul Calibur fans are fatties, Namco.

• Sega has announced a new RPG for the Nintendo DS called World Destruction. The development team consists of team members that made the incredible Xenogears. World Destruction has the player trying to destroy the world, instead of saving it.

• Sega Racing Studio isn't dead. The 40+ employees let go from the one-game studio have been recruited by Codemasters for pseudo-Sega racing goodness. So would the next Sega Rally be called Codemasters Rally?

• Grand Theft Auto IV was leaked online early with some Xbox 360 players already earning achievements. Microsoft is apparently looking into it and the players could be banned from Xbox Live

• Solid Snake will be joining other Konami characters in International Track & Field for the DS. The other known characters are Pyramid Head, Frogger, Evil Rose, Simon Belmont, Sparkster and Pentarou. Pyramid Head and Solid Snake in a track & field game? I'm there.

• Audiosurf, a game where you race on courses made from the music on your hard drive, will be heading to Xbox Live Arcade.

• Another Castlevania trademark has been revealed: Castlevania Judgment. What is it for? Nobody knows just yet, but here's hoping it's a witch court trial and burning game in the style of Phoenix Wright.

- Shawn - 04/27/08

Weekly News Roundup: 04/20/2008

Games

Even Yoda can't be a Jedi "Master of his domain" when facing Tira.

• Soul Calibur IV will be on store shelves July 29th in regular and premium editions. The limited premium edition will include a tin box, coffee table art book, a t-shirt (because people love free t-shirts), and exclusive downloadable content. There is also a new trailer showing off gameplay of Darth Vader and Yoda. Lightsabers versus swords still looks has that ridiculously stupid yet awesome look. In preparation for the release of SCIV, the DreamCast version of the first Soul Calibur (which is actually the second game in the series) will be brought to Xbox Live Arcade. Leaderboards will be added, but no word on online play yet. I just wonder how Soul Calibur is going to fit within XBLA's memory constraints.

• Midway gone the cross-universe route established by the Capcom VS Marvel titles with their new game, Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe. Because of the inclusion of DC characters there will be little blood and no fatalities. The Mortal Kombat characters won't know what to do once they beat an opponent in this game. Maybe they can add some humiliations or something? MK VS DC should be out this Fall.

• The second update for Burnout Paradise will be available on the 24th, but Criterion has already announced the details of the third. The third update will include three new modes: online Road Rage, Online Marked Man, and Online Stunt Run. The third update will also add custom soundtracks to the PS3 version. It's about time a PlayStation Burnout gets custom soundtracks, because that's the sole reason I've been buying the games for the Xbox all these years.

• Risk: Black Ops will not be mass-produced. Even though response to the re-invented board game was unanimously positive, Hasbro will be releasing a more traditional Risk game. Risk: Black Ops was given out to bloggers and journalists and only 1,000 copies of the game were made. Well gee, thanks for not remembering me, Hasbro. If you want the game you'll have to shell out at around $300 on eBay. Make more of Black-Ops, Hasbro, please.

• Hudson will be bringing Star Soldier R to US via WiiWare. The twelfth iteration of Star Soldier is more of a tournament style game where your main goal is to get the highest score possible. There will only be two time attack modes in the game; a 2-minute one stage and one boss, and a 5-minute two stages and two bosses.

• Unemployment isn't all bad, as Atlus has announced Izuna 2: Return of the Unemployed Ninja for US release on July 22nd.

• Metal Slug 7 is being developed for the go to system for classic remakes, the Nintendo DS, under SNK's and Ignition Entertainment's new partnership.

• The ESRB has rated a new Castlevania title, thereby announcing it for Konami. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia will be on the time tested Nintendo DS.

• The debut trailer for Siren: New Translation is going to scare your face off.

• Bionic Commando: Rearmed has been rated M because of the exploding dictator head at the end of the game. Exploding dictator heads are a T at most.

• Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3 will have an optional install. Thanks, Sega.

• A piece of concept art shows Hulkbuster Iron Man in The Incredible Hulk game. I may actually want to play the game if the Hulk fights Iron Man then.

Movies

• There have been movies, anime, games, and other stories based on Seven Samurai, but The Weinstein Company is getting ready to do a true remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic. Bah. What's worse is that the movie will have a cast comprised of Asian, American, and European stars. It can't be Seven Samurai remake if they are not all Japanese.

• A load of G.I. Joe movie photos were leaked online, but then quickly taken down. If you got a chance to see them, congrats.

• DreamWorks will be making a live action 3-D Ghost in the Shell. The big name to make the film happen is Steven Spielberg.

- Shawn - 04/20/08

Weekly News Roundup: 04/13/2008

Games

Really the biggest mystery of MGS4 is where this hairless monkey came from and how he developed a taste for the "juice."

• That sweet steel-colored limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 is coming to the US, but will be "very, very limited" according to the PlayStation blog. Details have yet to be revealed on how anyone will be able to obtain one of the slick consoles, but they do have all the details on the other configurations of MGS4 that will be available June 12th. The limited edition will have some incredible exclusive art on the box and the MGS4 PS3 bundle will come in a white box.

• A teaser trailer for Resistance 2 debuted this week. The scene shown looks much more sci-fi than the previous game and Nathan Hale has only 19 hours left to live. Only 19 hours? that doesn't bode well for a part 3 then. Ah, I'm sure they'll find a way.

• The 3D remake Final Fantasy IV DS has been announced for release on July 22nd. Time to play FFIV once again.

•  It seems that Sega Racing Studio has been shut down. The only game they made was the fun Sega Rally Revo, you know, the one where you could "drive like a man."

• After over 10 years, Dan "Shoe" Hsu has put in his resignation to Ziff-Davis Media. Well, good luck, Shoe. See you around in another media.

• Eidos announced Gauntlet for the DS. The game will have 3D graphics, but will retain the overhead perspective. Gauntlet also has a 40 map campaign and online multiplayer with Death Match, Team Death Match, and Treasure Hoard.

• The Iron Man game will have a few unlockable armors: the classic armor, the Extremis, the Classic Mark1, and the Hulkbuster. The Silver Centurion will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 while the Ultimate armor will be exclusive to the PS3. Now, is the Hulkbuster armor in there because there's a mission where Iron Man fights the Hulk or just because it's another armor?

• Atlus has Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 on the DS set for July 1st. All you touchy-feely surgeon's can get back to work.

Movies

• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li now has its own blog. The current entry contains the almost complete cast and a little storyboard of an action scene involving Chun Li and a helicopter. The casting seems pretty decent so far, but who the heck are the characters Maya, Cantana, Huang, and Zhilan? Edmund Chen, who is splaying Huang, could totally be Ryu.

• Tetris: The Movie. Awesome.

Comic-con / Toys

• NECA has photos of the Gears of War figures in their final packaging so you know what to look for when they're released.

- Shawn - 04/13/08

Weekly News Roundup: 04/06/2008

Games

Spawn.com's April 1st prank was a funny Spawn children's book titled Learn and Grow with Spawn. Nothing is better for the kids than a demon from hell.

• April Fool's day brought some interesting fake stories, but the best was the video of "Altair" from Assassin's Creed in Metal Gear Solid 4. The video was even introduced by AC's mom, Jade Raymond and ended with MGS's mastermind, Hideo Kojima. This is most likely born from Raymond's and Kojima's mutual respect for each other and is pretty damn cool.

• Another great April Fool's Day video was The Legend of Zelda movie trailer. Well, Ganon looked pretty fake, but otherwise it was super fan-boy gold. It was so good that there's even a making-of video for it.

• The final April Fool's Day prank I'll mention is Microsoft's Xbox 360 products: the Xbox 360 Vintage Edition, the Wireless Helmet, the Xbox 360 Recon Edition, and the Xbox LIVE board game. Ok, that wood-grain vintage 360 is actually really awesome.

•  A new Ninja Gaiden II video shows off the series' new blonde, Sonia. The video is accompanied by a piece of concept art that displays the CIA operative's big... guns.

• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue might be getting a patch that adds car damage this Fall. It's always been the real driving simulator except for the damage. It's about time I get to bust up my car in a GT game.

• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved may be seeing a part 2 in the near future. However, it better be damn good since it's coming out after the varied Geometry Wars Galaxies.

• After numerous delays, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has been given a release date of September 16th. By the time the game comes out we'll probably already know the story from all the figures, Legos, and other Unleashed crap that's already in stores.

• In other unleashed news, although it's been known about for awhile, Sega has just now officially announced Sonic Unleashed for the PS3, 360, Wii, and PS2. I was sick of the overuse of the word unleashed five years ago and still am.

• The videogame violence debate has raged on for years and we've heard many varied opinions, but what is master author Stephen King's take on the issue?

• BioWare is making Mass Effect a trilogy because, basically, that's how it goes for successful movie and games. Well, except for all the successful movies getting a part four and all the successful games that go well beyond that number.

• Ok retro remake fans, mark June 17th on your calendars. That's when Arkanoid DS and Space Invaders Extreme are released on the DS. Both will be available for a mere $19.99.

Movies

• Rumors continue to indicate that the Constructicons will be in Transformers 2. If they are used they would have to be in a different form as the Bonecrusher name has already been used in the first movie and the tank was called Devastator in the movie (the toy was named Brawl). Iesb also has the breakdown on the characters that will appear in the sequel. The movie Optimus Prime semi was seen being transported on another semi, most likely for shooting for Transformers 2. This goes along with the three Barricade Saleens spotted last week.

• If you have any remote interest in the live-action Dragon Ball movie, JoBlo.com had a bunch of photos from the set (the pics were removed just today). If you thought the movie looked bad before, well, it still does, but now I almost kind of want to see it after seeing these photos.

- Shawn - 04/06/08